Faces of Black History: Annie Sutton

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — A peanut butter sandwich.

Who would've thought two slices of bread, some creamy peanut butter and some dabs of jelly would have so much power?

Annie Sutton discovered its magical effect as a second-grade teacher in Belle Glade, many moons ago.

"My children couldn't read," she said.

So, she tried something different.

"I thought they were kinda hungry, maybe that was the reason that they couldn't read so I would bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to school and my children were reading."

The change was immediate.

"My class read better than any of the other second-graders in Belle Glade at that time," said Sutton.

Sutton continued to help youngsters bury their brains in books. She went on to become the first black library director for the city of Riviera Beach. And she opened the African American Room at the library.

"Along with our staff, we started this special room that we called the African American room so that they would have books and materials that they would need so that they wouldn't have to travel to other libraries," said Sutton. "They would have one here where they could walk to it."

The work didn't stop there.

Sutton landed a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to get computers and the internet into the library. She founded the Book Lovers Luncheon to raise funds for the library. And she helped make the Riviera Beach Public Library a member of the Library Cooperative of the Palm Beaches, to allow cardholders to use any library in the county for free.

Sutton is enjoying retirement with her husband, Al Sutton, a longtime head football coach at Suncoast High School. He also likes PB&J sandwiches.